Students Doodle for Google’s Approval

1/28/2016

Searching the Internet has never been so entertaining, thanks to those fun, interactive Doodles on Google’s homepage honoring notable individuals and commemorating major dates and events.

However, largely underrepresented in the often animated visuals are people of color and women. Junior Roxanne Barnes, co-president of Crossroads’ Gender Equality Club, saw an opportunity to level the playing field.

“It might seem kind of trivial because it’s just a small gimmick on a search engine, but if you think about how many people see those every day, it becomes a little more important to be sure they represent the achievements of anyone who deserves it,” she said.

The Gender Equality Club partnered with the History Club for the Google Representation Project, a contest for Upper-Schoolers that would pay homage to a remarkable woman via student-created Doodles. Of the 40 names suggested, Abigail Adams—the wife of second U.S. President John Adams, remembered as a champion of women’s rights—was chosen as the subject for the project.

“The basic idea of the Google Representation Project is to help female representation however we can,” Roxanne said. “Google Doodles inspire people and give them role models. We think Abigail Adams is an inspiring woman for her achievements in feminism, abolitionism and politics.”

Senior Eloise Fassler was named the winner of the contest; her Doodle contains the phrase “Remember the Ladies” written with a quill and scroll at the bottom, as Adams was known as a prolific letter-writer.

Roxanne said she plans to send the winning piece to Google, with the hopes of inspiring the search engine’s Doodle team to increase diversity among those featured.